Metallic seal.



w E. ELLIOTT.

METALLIC SEAL. Arrm'onxon FILED 151 .11.20, 1907. I

Patpnted Dec. 7, 1909.

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wit 141200010 @Zvi/M WILLIAM E. ELLIOTT, 0F GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN.

METALLIC SEAL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. '7, 1909.

Application filed March 20, 1907. Serial No. 363,363.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM E. ELLIOTT,

-a citizen of the United States of America,

residing at Grand Rapids, in the county of Kent and State of Michigan,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Metallic Seals; andI do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact de-'scription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in metallic seals; and its objectis to provide seals that may be variously applied for use; to provide aseal not easily tampered with without detection; to improve the lockingmeans; and to provide a device having various new and useful featureshereinafter more fully described and particularly pointed out in theclaims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a series ofseals embodying my invention; Fig.2 an elevation, or edge view of one of the same; Fig. 3 a modificationof one of the same; Fig. 4 an enlarged View in longitudinal sectionshowing the device in locked position; Fig. 5 a section at right anglesto Fig. 4 on the line 55 of Fig. 4; Figs. 6 and 7 enlarged details ofthe housing before attachment; Figs. 8 and 9 details of the retainer;Fig. 10 a plan view of the blank to form a retainer; and Fig. 11 amodification of one of the seals shown as in Fig. 1.

Like numbers refer to like parts in all of the figures.

The device consists of a series of strips 1 of sheet metal, preferablyformed from a sheet of metal of proper dimensions, and severed exceptfor a short distance whereby a number of these strips remain attached bya small portion 2 of the sheet, the number preferably being 10, ormultiples of 10, four being shown. Close to the connected ends of thesestrips they are reduced in width as at 3 forming shoulders in the edgesof each strip, and at this reduced portion the hous ing is attached.Each housing consists of a short tubular portion 5, closed at one endand having a flange 16 at the other end, and provided with extensions 6and 7 at'opposite sides adapted to fold around the narrowed portion ofthe strips, and thus secure the housing in place. These extensions andthe strip 1 have alined openings 8 to receive a projection 4 arranged inline with the axis of the housing 5. This projection is preferably inthe form of a pin 4 and consists of a portion of wire, of any convenientlength having a head at one end and inserted in an opening in the strip1 at a distance of about.

one-fourth of its length from the end having the housing attached andextending at right angles from said strip being secured in place byspurs 10 cut from the opposite sides of the wire and turned down uponthe surface of the strip 1 opposite to the head 11. The end of thisprojection is pointed to adapt it to enter between the spring members ofthe retainer and at a proper distance from its end to be engaged by theends of these spring members is a circumferential shoulder 9 formed inthe pin whereby the same is provided with an end adapted to be engagedby the retainer hereafter described. A series of openings 12 are formedin these strips near the end opposite that having the housing attached,through any one of which openings the projection may be inserted beforeinserting the same within the housing 5.

The member for retaining the projection within the housing consists of adevice formed from a blank cut from sheet metal, as shown in Fig. 10.This blank consists of a series of tapered fingers 14c connected attheir broader ends by a transverse integral portion 15, which portion isbent in tubular form with its ends abutting, and the fingers 14 are bentnear their free ends to form inwardly turned hooks, as at 14:, whichhooks yieldingly engage the shoulder 9 on the projection and retain thesame within the housing 5. This retainer is of truncated conical form.The base portion formed by the connecting member 15 substantially fitsthe closed end of the housing and the flexible fingers '14 converge andturn inward, as shown. The total length of this retainer issubstantially the same as the length of the interior of the housing 5,and engages the bottom of the housing at one end and the side of thestrip 1 at the other end, whereby it is securely retained in placewithin the housing when the end of the pin 4 is inserted therein andforms a very strong and reliable fastening for the same. The pin 4 is ofsuch relative diameter as to fill the openings 8, and thus when insertedin place effectually prevents access to the retaining means. It will benoted that the material for forming this retainer consists of blanks ofsuch outline that they can be cut from sheet metal with practically nowaste, the space between one series of fingers being substantially theshape and size of a corresponding series of the same.

In using this device, the portion 1 of the strip can be passed aroundany object or through any suitable opening, the pin inserted in one ofthe openings 12 and then secured therein by folding the other portion 1of the strip to properly insert the end of the pin through openings 8and within the housing. The shorter portion 1 of the strip may also beused without the longer portion 1 as suggested in Fig. 3. For thispurpose I prefer to make the pin 4: somewhat longer as indicated in Fig.3, and for some purposes I also prefer to provide the pin with acircumferential groove 13 whereby the same may be readily broken. Thispin and the portion 1 of the strip can thus be adapted to surround anobject and locked around the same or through any suitable opening.

In the event that an opening is too small to receive the strip, the pin1 may be inserted therein and secured in place, as stated by insertingits end in the housing 5.

For the purpose of registering these seals, and also for detecting anytampering with the same, I prefer to number the same consecutively, asshown at 17 and 17 I also prefer to number the strips and the hous ingsin duplicate, whereby if any part is destroyed and replaced, the numberswill not correspond and thus such tampering with the seal will bedetected.

To adapt the case to receive the higher numbers, I provide an extension,or tag, as indicated in Fig. 11 on which to place the number for thehousing.

The unsevered portion 2 serves to connect a series of seals inconsecutive order, which serves as a great convenience in counting,packing or handling the same, and forming a convenient trade package.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a car seal, the combination with a strip, of a housing secured tosaid strip at one end thereof, a projection also secured to said end ofthe strip, and means for locking said projection within said housing,the proj ection and housing and the free end of the strip being soconstructed and arranged that the free end of the strip may be receivedbetween the housing and the projection so as to lock it to the other endof the strip.

2. In a car seal, the combination with a strip, of a projection securedto one end of said strip, a housing also secured to said end of thestrip adjacent said projection, and means for locking said projectionwithin said housing and coincidently locking the opposite end of saidstrip between sald projection and housing.

3. I11 a car seal, the combination with a strip having an opening in oneend thereof, of a projection secured to the other end of said stripadapted to extend through said opening, a housing also secured to thelatter end of said strip adjacent said projection, and means for lockingsaid projection within said housing with the projection inserted throughsaid opening thereby uniting the opposite ends of said strip.

4. In a car seal, the combination with a strip, of a housing secured toone end of the strip, a projection also secured to said end of thestrip, and a catch fixed within said housing adapted to engage saidprojection and lock the same within said housing the free end of thestrip being constructed and arranged to be received between theprojection and the housing so as to be locked thereby to the oppositeend of the strip.

5. A metallic seal comprising a strip of sheet metal having an openingto receive a locking pin, a housing attached to the strip and with itsaxis in line with said opening, a separate retainer of truncated conicalform and of substantially the length of the interior of the case andlocated within the same, said retainer having yielding fingers bentinward to form hooks, and a locking pin secured to said strip and havinga circumferential shoulder engaged by the inwardly bent ends of thefingers.

G. A metallic seal comprising a strip having an opening near one end anda series of openings near the other end, a locking pin secured in saidstrip intermediate its ends and having a shoulder near its end, ahousing attached to the strip, and retaining means in the housingadapted to engage the shoulder of the pin.

7. In a metallic seal, a strip of sheet metal having an opening, ahousing attached to said strip and with its axis in line with saidopening, a locking pin having a head at one end and a shoulder near theother end and adapted to be inserted in the opening in said strip and atsubstantially right angles thereto, said pin also having spurs engagingthe strip opposite the head, and retaining means in the housing adaptedto engage the shoulder of the pin.

8. A metallic seal consisting substantially of a fiat strip of metalhaving openings near its respective ends, a housing attached to saidstrip and with its axis in line with one of said openings, a locking pininserted in said strip, intermediate said openings, and having a headengaging one side of the strip, spurs engaging the other side of thesame and a circumferential shoulder, and a separate retaining member inthe housing comprising a series of fingers integrally connected at oneend and having their free ends bent inward forming hooks to engage theshoulder of the pin.

9. In a seal, the combination with a metallic strip having end aperturesand an intermediate aperture, of a pin secured to said strip through oneof said apertures, a housing secured over another of said apertures, anda sheet metal retaining member secured within the housing, said stripbendable with its apertures over the pin to interlock therewith.

10. In a seal, the combination with a metallic strip having endapertures and an insaid strip and projecting through the intermediateaperture, a housing secured over one end of the strip, and a sheet metalretainmg member secured within the housing,

said strip bendable over with the free end 20 over the pin and thehousing end over the free end and pin.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM E. ELLIOTT. Witnesses:

GEORGIANA CHAoE, LUTHER V. MOULTON.

